Anaerobic reductive dechlorination is a naturally-occurring process wherein microbes degrade contaminants such as chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOC) in groundwater. The microbes use organic carbon as an energy source. As they metabolize available organic carbon, the microbes must utilize electron acceptors for respiration. As electron acceptors are depleted, the groundwater environment becomes increasingly reduced electrochemically and the microbes are forced to use successively less-susceptible electron acceptors, ultimately turning to chlorinated VOCs to serve as electron acceptors. Dehaloccoides is a genus of microbe known to be capable of using the full suite of common chlorinated VOCs for electron acceptance during respiration.
Existing studies suggest that the most common factors that result in slow or minimal cVOC degradation in groundwater include one or more of the following:    i. Lack of sufficient organic carbon;    ii. Relatively mild Redox conditions (often slightly aerobic); and    iii. Lack of the appropriate bacteria for the specific compounds to be degraded.
Enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD) is achieved by altering the conditions in the subsurface through injection of biostimulation amendments and/or specialized cultures to overcome the above factors. Successful applications have been extended from common chlorinated compounds such as perchloroethylene (PCE) to perchlorate and even to certain pesticides.